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Q&A: Matt Tyrnauer on William McDonough and Renzo Piano

William McDonough and Renzo Piano are shaking up the world of design by championing environmental sustainability, each in his own way. In the May 2008 issue of Vanity Fair, special correspondent Matt Tyrnauer talks to both architects about their recent projects, and here, VF Daily talks to Tyrnauer about his subjects.

VF Daily: In your article "Industrial Revolution, Take Two," you use terms like "prophet," "sermon," and "messiah" to refer to William McDonough and his work. Is he seen as a kind of architectural evangelist, or do his colleagues in the field of design accept him as a true innovator and authority?

MT: A combination of both, I'd say. In the early '90s, when issues of sustainability and conservation were on very few people's minds, McDonough was the lone voice out there. And because he was so far ahead of everyone else, he spent a lot of time not only inventing many aspects of sustainable design and architecture but also explaining his mission in much the same way that an evangelist explains the word of God.But his work in sustainability has life outside of architecture as well. He works not only on the macro level—designing cities and buildings and inventing building types—but also on the micro level, through his McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry company, which makes sure products are safe for the environment. Now, as we are beginning to see an urgent need to make things sustainable, people are really awakening to his mission.

McDonough talks about being an example for other architects to follow. Do you think that he is ushering in a new wave of design and development that will eventually become standard practice?

Yes, there's no question. There has been a lot of change in the building industry. McDonough has created a prototype and set a precedent for others to follow. But ultimately, the market decides a lot of this. Right now there's a great consumer awareness of environmental sustainability that would not exist if McDonough hadn't been laying the foundation of sustainable design 10 years ago, when no one else was thinking of it. It's reached a mass level and people see it a lifestyle decision.

McDonough's methods certainly sound like idealistic approaches to making our world sustainable and clean, but do you think they can realistically be applied on a large scale?

I don't think we know the answer to that yet. I think we will need about 5 or 10 years to see how things go. There's some evidence that a lot of positive things can be and are being accomplished. McDonough knew very early on that the way to incite change was not to stage protests and force people to alter their ways out of guilt or fear, but rather to redesign industry and train corporations to see that acting as good environmental citizens is the same thing as doing good business.

You get the inside scoop on Renzo Piano's California Academy of Sciences project for your article"Natural Phenomenon." What about this building intrigued you the most?

This is a building that will do something very rare and extraordinary, which is penetrate the consciousness of the average citizen. Very few buildings receive global recognition, stay in people's minds, and can be identified by the ordinary person on the street. Buildings like the Guggenheim Museum and the United Nations are icons of design because they push the envelope aesthetically, and the California Academy of Sciences will too.

The scouting pictures for this project are real "wow" material. The building is set in the middle of Golden Gate Park, and it's very rare to be able to build a big building in a park like that. It has a green roof with a hilly landscape, and is almost pastoral, with an otherworldly look to it. It's a fascinating intersection of form and function that you don't usually see. It's vibrant and clear and different, and I think it will redefine what a museum is on both an architectural level and an experiential level.

It sounds like Piano is very concerned with creating a design that is as organic in its aesthetic as in its function. Do you think that his ability to achieve both aesthetic beauty and environmental sustainability is unique among architects who are "going green?"

Even before "sustainability" was a buzzword among architects and designers, Piano was embedding his buildings in nature. But the idea of designing a structure that is sustainable as part of its mission is a new thing for most architects, and I think that this building has pushed the envelope even for him. This is a unique building in that its sustainable aspects are very clear to even the casual bystander. For example, if you go on the roof, which visitors will be allowed to do, you will see the portholes opening and closing electronically to vent the air, and you'll see the windows opening and closing electronically to control the building's temperature. So the function is very clear in the structure, but it is being executed with great architectural integrity that makes its point very elegantly.